18th October 2001

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The University of Ulster will be kickstarting the Science and Innovation festival in Derry this week with a series of exciting lectures aimed at schools in the area.

The lectures, which include ‘The Real c3po’ and ‘Earthquake Alert’, will bring science alive for young people, giving them the opportunity to learn about important scientific developments and the impact they will have for the future.

John McCloskey will be revealing why he believes a huge earthquake is predicted in Turkey, Stephanie McKeown will expain how new treatments are helping win the battle against cancer and Anton Hutton will tell us why science fiction robots are no longer a fantasy.

Other lectures include: ‘From Soda Bread to Cassava: Variety is the Spice of Life for a Food Scientist’, ‘Advances in Rehab: from Neanderthal to Space Age and ‘Don’t Eat the Food, Don’t Drink the Water’.

The series of talks, held at the Magee campus, also mark the beginning of an ambitious drive to bring universities and schools closer together on a day to day basis. The University of Ulster aims to provide more support for schools and pupils in a practical capacity through its ‘Step Up’ programme.

Dr Damian O’Kane, co-ordinator of the events at Magee and Director of the ‘Step-Up’ programme said

“ We are delighted to be involved with local schools and colleges in a meaningful way. The University of Ulster has the highest rated science department in the whole of the UK, ahead of universities like Oxford and Cambridge and has an international reputation second to none. It is important that we share this knowledge and expertise to help in the development of the scientists and innovators of tomorrow.”

The series of lectures will be held on Friday 19th of October at the University of Ulster, Magee.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk